The Artifact
by Meushell
Summary: Fifty years ago the Tok'ra found an unknown artifact. Two other groups quickly took notice.
1. Digging

Title: The Artifact  
Author: Meushell  
Disclaimer: Stargate owns what they own, (even if they are trigger happy with the Tok'ra) and I own what I own.  
Summary: Fifty years ago the Tok'ra found an unknown artifact. Two other groups quickly took notice.  
Rating: PG-13  
Parings: Sam/Martouf/Lantash, Malek/Aldwin, Aldwin/Other (brief), Anise/Other  
Sequel to: The Question, which basically means Sam is married to Martouf and Lantash (in the present time of course).

Part 1, Digging

--Fifty Years Ago--

Martouf closed his eyes briefly. He was bored, and truthfully, the only reason he asked to go on this mission was because Rosha and Jolinar had been assigned to it. They had dangerous jobs and every moment with them was a blessing. He looked over to them briefly. Jolinar had been in control a moment ago, but now it was Rosha. She held herself differently...more relaxed. She was sitting on a stool too high for her feet to reach the ground, and while Jolinar had her feet planted on a bar on the stool, Rosha preferred to leave them swinging in the air.

_We are supposed to be watching for possible dangers_, Lantash thought, _not our wives._

_I was just wondering what they were reading._

_You were not._

Martouf smiled as his attention went to the those digging. Anise was near, giving orders. This was her mission. She was sure this world had a device that could prove useful to the Tok'ra. She had convinced the high council to allow her to find it. _Anise looks funny._

_Be kind._

Martouf nodded slightly. Anise had recently gotten a new host, Freya, and Martouf wasn't quite used to the woman. She was much different than the previous host, though she shared the same enthusiasm to study ancient cultures. They would make a good team...in time. For now, they were still getting used to each other.

"I think I found something," Aldwin announced. He stopped digging as others in the group approached him. Like, Martouf and Lantash, he was here for relationship reasons. His boyfriend, Shorvek, had been working under Anise for this project.

"It is about time," replied Vorran, who was standing guard as Martouf was. "They've been digging for hours." He shook his head slightly. "I hope it's not another rock."

Martouf smiled as he heard Lantash chuckle. The last "find" took an hour to dig up, only to determine that it was simply a rock.

Anise knelt by the find and dusted off the dirt. "There is writing... Rosha?"

Rosha had been watching from her stool. She set the book down and approached. The writing the people of this world has used was similar to that from her world. She had been assigned to help Anise translate. She knelt down, getting dirt on her dress. "Power."

"Yes?"

"That's all is says." She tilted her head slightly. "Or it could be light...or fire." She saw Anise frowning. "I'm sorry, but those words are all very similar in my language, and this artifact isn't clear."

For another half hour, they dug, and Martouf watched with boredom. Things changed though when he heard steps behind him. He gestured to Vorran, and they went to investigate.

Three people, two men and one woman, were walking down the corridor, not seeming to notice they weren't alone. The two men wore tunics with short robes and pants. The woman was wearing a feminine version, with a skirt instead of pants, and a couple light robes instead of one heavy one. They seemed human. No marks of a Jaffa, and no symbiote presence was sensed.

One man seemed to be in charge. "This place seems to be interesting. Hopefully there are people here."

"This place seems advanced," the woman replied. "What if they don't want to trade with us?"

"We have to try. If we don't return with food..." He shook his head, and said something too low for Martouf to hear.

Martouf pulled out his zatnikatel and approached. Vorran followed. He watched the three stop, though they didn't seem alarmed.

The leader moved closer, not seeming to notice that he had a weapon trained on him. "Greetings, I am Lahtin. We are travelers from another world. We are here to trade."

"Hello Lahtin," Martouf replied.

"Would you be interested in trading?"

"Possibly." The Tok'ra often traded for items they needed. These people were looking for the people of this world though, clearly not realizing that the people of this world were killed years ago.

"Aw, good, good." Lahtin approached closer. "This is Kelila and Malin." He pointed to the woman, then the man. He paused, looking at the weapon. "I see you are a man who likes to get to the point. Our village is in need of food, and we an abundance of other items to trade for it."

Kelila stepped closer, holding a look of sorrow. "Our people were recently attacked by powerful men who could shoot fire from sticks."

_Jaffa_, Martouf thought in anger.

Her voice quivered slightly as she continued. "Winter is coming, and our usual trading partners have no extra food to spare. We've been searching for new ones from a list of planets we found."

_That's rather dangerous_, Lantash thought.

_They are desperate._ "What can-" Martouf was interrupted when he felt Rosha approaching. He saw Lahtin smile in a way a man would smile when interested in a woman. _He better stop smiling like that._

"Hello," Rosha said as she approached. She had seen them talking, so figured she could approach. "What is going on." She saw Lahtin's smile and felt Jolinar scoff.

_We are taken_, Jolinar thought in annoyance.

Rosha smiled, not bothered. Sometimes it did, but this smile seemed different. There was no disrespect in it. It seemed friendly and genuine. She heard Martouf give a brief explanation, and she felt the immediate need to help these people. She invited them in the room everyone had been.

_Must have been a small artifact_, Lantash thought as he saw it was gone. He wondered what explanation Jolinar had as to why everyone had been in a room with a hole in the ground.

Lahtin took an interest in it. "Digging?"

"Never know what you can find," Rosha said. "So far we haven't found anything. What do you have to trade."

Lahtin moved closer. "Clothes...or cloth. We have some precious minerals. Do you like gold? Most places we know do. Or silver? We also have some timber."

Martouf found the clothes to be more interesting. The Tok'ra liked having a variety around. "We'll need to contact our leaders." He couldn't start off a trade like this without talking to a member of the high council first.

"Of course." Lahtin set his pack down. "When we first meet a group it is traditional to have a feast, except we don't have any food, but we did bring something to drink."

Martouf nodded briefly. "Rosha, why don't you contact them?" She'd have to leave the area to do so. The building they were in jammed communication. Besides, she couldn't call them in front of the others anyway.

Lahtin took out glasses before pouring something blue into them, not seeming to notice she was sent off. "Have you ever had pluvberry juice? It's quite good. We have a great deal of it. Unfortunately it cannot last us through winter."

_That's a good drink_, Lantash thought. He had it few times, long before he knew Martouf. _I thought the plant was extinct._

Rosha was on her way out when Lahtin started speaking. Jolinar took control, rather interested. "Pluvberry juice?" She kept her true voice hidden as she walked back. _I love pluvberries!_

Lahtin looked to her. "Would you like some?" He poured another glass and offered it to her.

Jolinar took the glass. "Thank you." She smelled a sweet scent that she hadn't smelled in centuries. _I wouldn't mind trading food for this._

_I don't think the high council would approve_, Rosha thought.

_You must try it. _Jolinar gave control back so Rosha could taste it fully in the first sip.

"One hundred percent pluvberries," Lahtin said with a smile.

Rosha closed her eyes briefly. It was sweet, and to her surprise, it wasn't too sweet like most berry juices. There was a slight tartness to it. There was a lot of pulp, due to it being made by hand. _I probably have blue teeth now._

Jolinar chuckled. _It doesn't stain your teeth that fast._

Rosha enjoyed half of the glass before giving control back to Jolinar. Jolinar set the glass down when she was done. _Now you have blue teeth._ "I should be going. While I'm gone..." She looked to Martouf. "We don't have much to offer for a feast, but I'm sure my husband can find something."

Martouf felt pride her in words, and he felt Lantash's pride as well. They knew it was said due to he look he gave her when she first approached. "Rations. They don't taste like much."

"Anything is fine," Lahtin replied as Rosha left. "Are there others here, or is it the three of you?"

Martouf's glass was set down, and he was now digging through his bags. _Answer?_

_I suppose there is no harm is letting the others be known. It'll make them think before trying anything if they realize they are outnumbered._

"Others," Martouf replied. He saw Vorran go to get them. As he stood up with packets of food, he saw his drink had been refilled.

Kelila and Malin each had a glass now, as did Lahtin. Lahtin set his glass down. "How many are we serving?" He looked up and smiled as he saw Vorran return with Aldwin, Anise, and Shorvek. He poured three more glasses and took the ration bar that Martouf gave him. He sniffed it before taking a bite. "Interesting."

"The food we trade will have more flavor," Martouf said. He knew rations bars were bland. He tended to add flavors to his when he had the chance.

"There is not much taste, but I do like the texture." He picked up his glass. "I do hope this trade works out."

"A trade between us is likely to happen only this one time," Vorran said. He didn't want to put the moment down, but he had to face the fact that neither knew where the other actually lived.

"Still, it is something to celebrate." Lahtin lifted his glass and waited for his friends to do the same. The Tok'ra hesitated before copying the gesture. "To new allies..." He looked to Vorran. "Even if our friendship is brief."

"To new allies," Kelila and Malin chorused.

Anise was to first to copy the words, and the other Tok'ra did the same. She saw the three strangers take a drink afterwards and figured that was the thing to do. She watched how much they drank before copying. She felt Freya mentally wince to the taste. It was strong when drinking more than a sip at a time.

Lahtin set his glass down. "Assuming this trade goes well, you will be saving many lives."

Malin lifted his glass. "To saving lives."

Martouf gave Lantash control to finish the glass in the new toast. He enjoyed the drink, but it wasn't _that_ good. Lantash took control happily. He finished the drink. _I enjoyed that, but I do hope they are finished._ The drink had a taste that lingered for a bit, and the more you drank, the stronger the lingering taste was. He set the drink. "I didn't know pluvberries were still around."

"They weren't easy to find at first," Lahtin replied.

Lantash nodded briefly before frowning. Something was wrong. He felt Martouf's systems slowing. _Martouf?_

_Why do I feel tired?_

Lantash looked to the others, who were starting to blur slightly. _They drugged us!_

_Didn't they drink it too._

Lantash frowned as he looked to the three. He hadn't seen Lahki pouring all the glasses. He could have easily slipped something in after the first three glasses. "You..." He gave Martouf control to fight it. The drug was strong, much stronger than should be used on a regular human. Did these people know who they were?

Martouf took his zatniktel out as he fell to his knees. He looked to Lahtin as he aimed it. "Who?" Lahtin moved to the side, and Martouf found he was too weak to follow with his arm. _I feel stupid._

Lantash was too busy trying to fight the drug to reply, and he knew exactly how his host felt. _We were too trusting._

Martouf frowned as he saw Malin moving closer to his leader. Malin's eyes flashed white as he spoke quietly. Martouf grew angrier as he fell back.

To be continued...


	2. The Device

(Roeskva, thank you. I'm glad you liked the beginning.

Natslou, thanks. I hope you enjoy the rest.)

Part 2, The Device

--Still Fifty Years Ago--

Rosha came back to a seemingly empty room, which alarmed her enough to bring out her knife. She realized it wasn't going to do her any good when she felt herself being shot with a zatnikatel from behind. She fell forward as she felt Jolinar lose conscious.

She turned over with her knife in her hand. That scared her. For her to stay conscious while Jolinar did not either meant the shooter was either very lucky or very skilled. Usually it meant the person was lucky, but as she saw Lahtin standing there with the weapon, she had a feeling it was skill.

He spoke quickly, seeming to answer her questions. "The others are fine. They are behind force fields in the other room. I'm sure you didn't realize the room was capable, but it is. I have no intentions of hurting anyone, but I have a mission, and I must complete it."

"Goa'uld," Rosha said with venom. The man's voice made it clear that he had been lying from the start.

"I know you are Tok'ra, but my interset is in the artifact you found, not you."

"Why should I believe you?"

Lahtin moved closer, and his expression seemed to hold sorrow. "I do not want to hurt anyone, but I also do not want to be attacked. I have an offer." He continued while she shook her head. "I'll take you to Martouf. I realize that you aren't able to walk well after being shot, but keep in mind I'm at risk as well. I don't particularly want to be stabbed while I'm carrying you."

Rosha frowned, wanting to stab the man, or better yet, take the weapon he stole from her husbands and shoot him.

He tossed his weapon to Kelila and approached carefully. "The alternative is I wait long enough to shoot you again without killing you, and bring you back to him unconscious. I know that's not what you want."

Rosha frowned, realizing he saw Jolinar as a bigger threat than he saw her. She also realized she didn't really have a choice. "Very well." She watched him carefully as he approached and lifted her up. There was something oddly familiar about the way he held her. She was taken to the other room with Kelila following. She saw Lantash stand inside the makeshift brig, and he looked very angry and very worried.

Lantash watched Kelila take down the forcefield. He knew Rosha had been zatted, and he wasn't going to risk her being shot again. He also didn't want her to be dropped. He took her from Lahtin. The forcefield went back up when Lahtin was clear of it. Lantash glared at him and Kelila until they left the room. Afterwards, he set her down and started checking for injury.

"I'm fine," Rosha said as she hugged him. Part of her wished she had put up a bigger fight...or really, even a small one.

Lantash looked over her again before looking to her. "What happened?"

"He used the zatnikatel. He's skilled. Jolinar lost conscious, but I didn't. He said he'd bring me to you if I didn't try to stab him." She looked to the knife that was still in her hand, quite amazed that he didn't insist on taking it from her. She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them, she saw Lantash checking her again. "Lantash, he didn't hurt me." She felt herself pulled into a hug. "How did the three of them take out all of you?"

"They gave us more of that drink and forgot to mention that the second batch was drugged."

"That wasn't nice." Rosha smiled as she felt Jolinar wake up. _Morning._

_Morning?!_

Rosha smiled more. _It's not really morning._

_Who shot us?_

_Lahtin._

_I knew he couldn't be trusted._

Rosha frowned. _Odd. I recall you saying he seemed like a nice fellow and that we had to help him. You also said-_

_All right, so I didn't have any idea. Why did he attack us?_

"He wants that artifact," Rosha said, answering Jolinar while informing the other Tok'ra.

Anise stood from her cell. "Well, they have it."

Rosha slowly stood up. "They also know who we are." She saw that the others didn't look happy with that. "He said he wasn't interested in us. I-"

The three strangers came in with the artifact. Kelilia proceeded to turn on more lights, which made Aldwin frown. He looked to Anise from his cell. "Why did we work in the dark when there were lights to turn on?"

"I didn't know how to turn them on."

"I'm to blame as well," Shorvek defended. He was in the same cell as Aldwin. "I couldn't figure out the lighting system." He frowned as he saw the three strangers put the artifact in a new device in the center of the room and activated forcefields around it. "I knew the box in the center of the room did something."

Lantash moved closer to the edge of his brig. "Why are you still here? You have the artifact."

Lahtin ignored him.

"What do you want with it?" Lantash asked, but he was ignored again. He asked a few more questions that were ignored. "Why are you still here? How did you know about the artifact? Why are you in the same room with us if you intend on ignoring us?"

He was about to ask another question when the door opened. Kelila and Malin were in the room with them, and the Tok'ra weren't expecting anyone yet. This was someone new.

Two men entered, and for one, something about him screamed Goa'uld. The way he walked. The fine soft gold toned robe he wore. He also looked very angry when he saw Lahtin. Lahtin stood with pride. "You're too late."

_I like the Goa'uld fighting each other, but I don't like getting in the middle unless it's intentional_, Lantash thought with annoyance.

The unknown man stepped closer. He looked over the celled Tok'ra before returning his attention to Lahtin. "That artifact is mine!"

"It never was, and it never will be."

"You know you can't keep it. You may have arrived here first, but in time, I will have it."

The second man who entered was a Jaffa. His forehead was marked with a symbol that Lantash didn't recognize. The gold told him that he was a first prime.

"Ker'tel!" yelled the new Goa'uld.

"As long as it is in that device, we cannot retrieve it," the Jaffa replied.

"It does not matter," the leader replied, though he looked annoyed. He left the room. Ker'tel quickly followed.

"That was strange," Aldwin said as he tapped the forcefield. "So, any idea when we're going to be rescued?" He looked to the others, knowing they didn't have an answer. He turned back to Sharvek. "Hi."

Sharvek smiled from his place on the floor. "Hello."

Aldwin sat down near and leaned into him. "Well, I came here to spend more time with you, so I cannot really complain." He closed his eyes as he felt arms move around him.

--

After trying to take the forcefields down for a couple hours, the Tok'ra were ready to give up and wait for rescue. A half hour after that the forcefields went down on their own. Jolinar looked over it that system while the Tok'ra looked over the device and the forcefield it was creating.

"It's confirmed," Jolinar said. She looked to the others. "We didn't do anything. They went down on their own."

"It looks like they rerouted the power," Anise said. "They must have been here before us. They planned this out." She pointed to the generating power on the forcefield around the artifact. "All the power has been rerouted, and it's a good thing. I have no idea how to shut it down, and we would have been in there for a very long time."

"Can we try shutting it down?" Lantash asked.

"Not safely."

"So, how long is it to be trapped in there?"

Anise looked up to him before reexamining her data. "About fifty years."

"Someone will have to get it before they do."

"Well, I plan on still being around then," Anise replied. She smiled. "So does Freya."

Jolinar smiled. "Rosha and I plan on it."

Aldwin nodded. "That's the plan then. We'll all retun...with more security."

The others agreed. The plan was made.

to be continued...


	3. The Truth

(Thank you, My blue rose and Roeskva for the reviews. I apologize for the late update.)

Part 3, The Truth

--Now (Well, fifty years later to them)--

Martouf had gone to wake up Malek, but his friend wasn't in his room. He walked to another hall and entered Aldwin's quarters. He knocked on the doorway when he found them asleep. "Malek."

Malek stirred before sitting up and looked at Martouf with half closed eyes. "What?"

"You asked me to wake you today."

Malek frowned as he tried to remember this. "Did I?"

Martouf walked closer, speaking quietly since Aldwin and Gete were still asleep. For all he knew, Malek's host, Amb, was also asleep. "You told me to wake you up on the day SG-1 is to come. They are coming."

Malek edged out of the bed and started getting dressed. Martouf disappeared, and when Malek left, he found him again down the hall. They started walking. "I wish I could stay longer with Aldwin instead of greeting SG-1."

"They are your friends."

"No, Samantha is my friend. Daniel and Teal'c are just...there."

Martouf made a brief nod as he came to a stop. They were in the hall where SG-1 would be ringing down to. "How is Amb?"

"He's trying to go back to sleep." Malek smiled when SG-1 rang down.

"Samantha," Martouf said as he moved forward. It felt good to be able to greet her with a kiss. He saw Malek already leading everyone away, and he followed.

"Dangerous mission?" Sam asked.

"It could be. We don't know anything of the Goa'uld involved. We never saw or heard of them again. The Tok'ra believes they were killed by the System Lords, which means the artifact is ours. Given that it might be important, the high council felt you would be interested."

"I remember the attack...vaguely... They were Goa'uld, but you couldn't sense them."

"As you realize, there are drugs that can be taken to prevent yourself from being sensed. They are usually used by Ashrak. They use it to hide, but the drawback is they can't sense other symbiotes either." They moved to the meeting room, many of the basics had already been explained on another day. "We'll bring the artifact to an outpost to be translated. We've already taken images of the place."

"Who translated before?" Daniel asked. "He always enjoyed meeting another person who could decipher old languages...if they knew what they were doing."

Martouf frowned slightly as he turned to him. "Rosha. The language was similar to her native language. She was able to read most of it." He glanced down as pain entered his eyes. "She and Jolinar had been looking forward to returning. Everyone originally involved on the mission was supposed to return." He shook his head slightly and sat down. "Yosuuf will be translating. She and Rosha were from the same planet. The city-states they were from are different in many ways, but they share a few things in common, and language is one of them."

With Garshaw involved, Sam imagined the outpost must be guarded pretty well. "Is Aldwin coming?" She remembered him being on the mission.

"I'm coming," Aldwin replied as he walked into the room. He looked around. "Where's Anise?"

"She's gathering books," Martouf said as he looked to Daniel. "Like you." He saw Daniel had an extra bag for books. "I'm sure Yosuuf will be pleased to know how well her translations are trusted."

Daniel looked nervous. "I didn't know if you had anyone. I didn't mean it as an insult." He felt nervous at the idea of Garshaw thinking he thought little of her host. "I always bring books for this kind of mission. I-"

"It's all right, Daniel," Malek interrupted. "Martouf was teasing you."

Daniel couldn't imagine Martouf teasing someone, and yet it seemed, the man just had.

"Besides," Malek continued, "Yosuuf will not see the artifact until we bring it to her. We'll need translations on the planet."

Anise came running up to the group with her own books. She slowed when she neared and looked over the group. "Are we ready?" she asked calmly.

Malek took lead. The rest followed. As always, the trip from the base to the gate required a bit of walking. He dialed the address and they went through.

Sam looked around as soon as she stepped through. Jack hadn't liked that they didn't come here directly. They had been given the address, and they checked it out earlier, but he felt more sure they arrived when he saw them step through himself. Daniel pointed out that it was safer to come with the Tok'ra anyway.

They arrived at the building and quickly found the artifact. A couple Tok'ra scientists were already there. So was Vorran, who was guarding over them. "The power is going to give out soon," one scientist replied. "I estimate it'll be about an hour. You made good timing."

"Until then, we need to learn what we can," Anise replied. Like before, this was her mission. As she and Daniel took out their books, Malek started running what scans he could. Everyone else set up guard. The two scientists left after giving the new group their findings.

Sam looked around as she remembered Jolinar's version of what happened. She remembered wondering where the others were after returning. She remembered feeling shot and knowing she was going to lost conscious. She felt Jolinar's concern for everyone at the time, and she remembered waking up very confused. Samantha closed her eyes and shook her head. She looked up when she felt someone touch her shoulder. "Martouf."

"Which part are you remembering?"

"Being shot." As she answered she remember Jolinar going through Rosha's memories to learn what happened. Those memories were vague, but Lantash's concern stood out. The symbiote had a tender side to him that Jack would probably never believe.

"I'll do my best to assure there is no shooting today," Martouf replied. He sounded assured to anyone who didn't know really him. To Samantha though, the worry in his voice was clear. She wondered if he knew she heard it.

"I promise to keep you from getting shot if you promise to keep me from being shot."

"It's a deal then," Martouf replied. He made a slight nod before learning over and giving her a small kiss. He then moved to guard the place. Sam found another place to guard from.

Time passed slowly, which was a good thing in that it meant they weren't being attacked. Looking outward, Sam felt someone approaching from behind her. She looked and was a bit surprised to see it was Vorran. There was something about him that was familiar, but she couldn't place what it was.

"Hello," he said.

She made a slight nod.. "Did we meet before?"

"Several months ago you came to the Tok'ra..." he trailed off when he saw her shaking her head. "Before then?"

"Yeah."

"I was on the base where you first met the Tok'ra."

"That's probably it."

"I am not entirely sure why you were invited on this mission," he said, changing the subject. "You weren't there when we first found the artifact."

"You'd have to talk to your high council about it." Sam frowned slightly.

"I will. I'd have argued against it if I was on the high council."

Sam nodded as her frown left. "Uh, well, I'm going to..." She pointed to her post, wanting to guard. She watched him nod and leave.

After ten more minutes passed, the force field went down. Everyone was on high alert as the artifact was removed. They left the area and headed to the stargate. Anise dialed to an outpost and they went through. After another walk, they went into the tunnels. An open area had been set up for the artifact. It was the largest room of crystals that SG-1 had seen. Within the room were several guards and Garshaw.

Now that she thought about it, Sam realized that many of the Tok'ra they had passed through the tunnels were in security or had been in the past. "I see you aren't taking any chances."

Garshaw stood up. "We don't know what became of the Goa'uld who attacked us, but we do believe they intended on returning for the device. Given that we haven't seen them...that worries us."

"I thought you believed the System Lords got them?"

"That is the preferred option." She looked to the device as it was set down. "Your father is coming soon." She made a brief nod, and the expression became more Yosuuf. She quickly found the word that Rosha had trouble with before. "Power or light or fire. It could be any of those."

"It's power," said a voice that was much too familiar to Lantash's ears.

Despite the number of guards, there's a distinct problem with trying to shoot at someone you can't see. After a few shots and seeing the bullets had to have hit them, Sam realized they must have some type of armor or shielding.

Martouf realized the same thing. He put his zatnikatel away and grabbed the staff weapon of what he hoped was an unconscious Tok'ra. He aimed where zatnikatel fire was coming from. He listened for the sounds of movement and took another shot. He felt a small amount of victory when he heard a thud. Figuring where the person fell, he kept shooting. Suddenly he felt his body stiffen as painful electricity moved through him. He felt like a failure as he fell.

--

Jacob knew something was wrong when he arrived at the outpost. He found the rings, but sensed no guarding Tok'ra around them. With worry, he took out his weapon before activating the rings. He heard Selmak make a sound of alarm as they they saw Tok'ra on the ground. His heart pounded as he made his way to the nearest one. Keeping alert to his surroundings, he moved his fingers on the neck of the host. He felt relieved to feel the thump of a pulse. His hands then moved to the back of the neck where he squeezed. It was common to check on a symbiote this way. The symbiote was to move when it felt itself being squeezed to let the one checking know that it was all right.

_No movement_, Jacob thought.

_If the host is alive, the symbiote is probably just unconscious._

Jacob stood up. _Hopefully._ He headed down the tunnels, knowing where the artifact had been taken. He slowed down towards the end, hearing movement. There was a forcefield at the end, which he figured was put there by whoever the attacker was.

He saw the one who fit Lahtin's description kneeling over Martouf. Lahtin moved stiffly, clearing in pain. A number of burn marks indicated he had been hit by a staff weapon several times.

"Let me help you," Kelila said, having a healing device in her hand.

"I can heal myself."

"Please."

"They need to be moved," Lahtin replied, changing the subject. He touched Martouf's hair lightly. "He's a good fighter."

The staff weapon near Martouf made Jacob wonder if Martouf was the one who shot him.

_Am I hearing things, or did he almost sound proud?_ Selmak thought.

"He nearly killed you," Kelila said.

"Because he's a good fighter. Help me up." Lahtin took Kelila's hand and stood up on shaky legs. He then moved to Samantha.

_Stay away from her!_ Jacob thought.

He watched Lahtin kneel down, though falling part of the way. Lahtin took her hand while Jacob imagined shooting him again.

_If the staff weapon didn't kill him, I don't think our zat will do anything_, Selmak thought. _We need to contact the Tok'ra._

Jacob continued to glare as Lahtin kissed Sam's forehead. _I'm going to kill him._

_Kill him later. Right now-_

"Who are you?" demanded a now wake Garshaw.

_She's alive!_ thought a relieved Selmak.

_How did she wake up before the others_, Jacob asked, knowing the others would have protected her. She should have been one of the last to be shot.

_Maybe it's not just the zatnikatel fire that's keeping them unconscious._

Lahtin turned to the council member. "We are moving you to another planet."

"Why?"

"The artifact must be kept safe, and it's my job to keep it safe."

"You're a Goa'uld. You expect me to believe you are simply keeping it safe?"

"I'm being nice about it."

"You shot everyone."

"I'm allowing Selmak to stay conscious."

_Why do I have a feeling that we have been captured_, Selmak thought.

Jacob turned around to see that a forcefield was now behind them. _When did that get there?!_

Lahtin walked over with his zatnikatel. "Put your weapon down."

"You can barely walk," Jacob replied as Selmak told him to put the weapon.

"I don't need to walk to shoot you."

_I want to stay conscious_, Selmak thought.

Jacob held a grimace as he set his weapon down. He walked out when the forcefield was put down and looked to Garshaw. "Are you all right?"

She nodded.

"I'm sure you heard of my friend," Lahtin said in a tone that made it clear that he was referring to his enemy. "He wants the artifact for himself."

"And you want it for yourself," Jacob finished.

"I'm taking the artifact."

"If that's all it is, then why are you taking us?" Garshaw asked.

"No more questions," Lahtin replied as he moved away. "Kalila." He gestured.

The female moved over to Martouf and picked him up. She left. Soon the one called Malin came in, picked up Aldwin, and left.

"This is going to take a while," Jacob said.

"Well, they had planned on me helping but..." Lahtin gestured to his injuries.

Jacob frowned. "You say that as if you knew you were going to be injured."

"Martouf's a good shot."

Jacob kept frowning. The expression sounded a bit Earthy. "You knew he was going to shoot you?"

"I figured someone would."

It was quiet again, and one by one, they were taken out until it was the three of them. "Your turn to go," Lahtin said. He was leaning against the wall, not able to heal very well when moving around.

"And if we don't go?" Garshaw asked.

"You will." Lahtin pulled out a device and pointed it to the wall. The wall started moving forward the same way it would if the Tok'ra had collapsed it.

_How did he know how to do that?_ Selmak asked.

Lahtin gestured. "Now we go."

Jacob looked to Garshaw, and they nodded briefly to each other. They started walking ahead of Lahtin. With small glances and hidden gestures, they communicated. When they came around a corner, they moved together. Garshaw moved down and swung her hand around to hit the back of Lahtin's knee. Jacob had moved to the side and delivered a blow to the man's face.

Lahtin gasped in pain as he fell back, and it didn't help when Jacob knelt on him. Jacob pulled a knife from his pocket and held it to Lahtin's throat. "Don't move."

_Thank Martouf for the knife_, Selmak thought briefly. The other Tok'ra had given it to him.

"Who are you, and where are you taking us?"

Garshaw knelt down as she took out her own knife. "How did you find us? How did you get in here?"

"The tunnel is collapsing," Lahtin replied.

"Then answer quickly," Jacob replied.

"The artifact is powerful. He wants to use it for a weapon. I am not going to let him get it."

"The other Goa'uld?" Jacob asked. "Why do you want it?"

"To destroy it."

"Doubtful."

"I'm not a Goa'uld."

"You sound like one."

"I'm Tok'ra."

Jacob smiled to that ridiculous idea. "What?"

Lahtin grimaced in pain as Jacob leaned weight on an injury. "I couldn't risk him getting the device." He looked up to Garshaw. "I didn't have to find you. I already knew where you'd be. I knew it before you knew it."

"How?" she asked.

"I told you-"

"You're a Tok'ra, yet you attacked us. I also don't recognize your host." She pressed the flat of the knife against an injury. "Who ordered you to attack us?"

"You did."

"What?!"

"In the future."

She moved her knife away from him. "The future?"

"He came into the past to steal the artifact. You ordered me to stop him."

Her eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

He sighed. "Lantash."

to be continued...


	4. Lahtin

(I'm going to keep calling him Lahtin, mainly because it's easier to type than "Future Lantash." It also reads better, imo.

Roeskva, thank you for the review. I'm glad to hear from you.  
Sweetangel4, thank you. I'm sorry this next part has been delayed.  
My blue rose, thanks. I am glad you liked it.)

Part 4, "Lahtin"

Garshaw's eyes glowed. "You expect us to believe that? You attacked us."

"I never hurt anyone."

"Samantha?" Jacob asked. "You kissed her...forehead." As it annoyed him, he also realized it sounded a bit ridiculous.

Lahtin saddened. "I miss her."

Jacob frowned. "Why couldn't you tell us the truth in the first place?"

"Part of that was keeping the timeline."

"It's already broken."

"No, I did exactly what I know I was to do."

"What?"

"That's how I knew I was going to be shot. I haven't changed anything. I'm doing what I'm supposed to do...though I didn't know being knelt on was going to be part of that." He frowned. "You noticed something yourself," he said looking to Jacob. "Selmak thought I sounded proud when talking about Martouf shooting me. I was proud. That took a lot of skill, and I hadn't helped him. It's not easy shooting someone you can't see, especially in that chaos."

Garshaw turned around as she noticed the collapsing tunnel was getting close. "We need to go." She stood up with Lahtin's zatnikatel in her hand.

Jacob pulled Lahtin up in a less than gentle manner. "How did I get this knife?"

"Martouf and I gave it to you as a gift before asking if we had permission to ask Sam to marry us. It also replaced the knife you had lost."

"Where are the others?"

"There's a ship on the surface. Everyone else is already there."

Jacob nodded, not wanting to leave the others behind. They arrived at the surface and the small ship was there. "So, is the ship from the future?"

"I can't answer that."

"How will Lantash know what to do if you don't tell him," Jacob replied, still not believing him.

"I had to figure some things out for myself."

Jacob looked to Garshaw. "You should go." He didn't want her going to the ship.

"She can't," Lahtin said before she could reply. "The stargate will not work."

"What did you do?"

"It wasn't me."

Jacob frowned as he pulled Lahtin towards the stargate. "How did this Goa'uld know where to find us?" He dialed the gate and realized that Lahtin was right about it not working.

"One of the crystals is missing."

"Where is it?" Garshaw asked.

"I don't know."

"The Goa'uld took it," Jacob stated in disbelief.

"Yes."

"The one without a name."

"He has a name."

"Which is..."

"We need to go now." Lahtin looked to his ship. He took a step closer to it before looking to them. "It's not safe here."

Selmak took over, flashing Jacob's eyes. Feeling a bit out of the control of the situation, she kept a grip on Lahtin. "I suggest hoping your allies care about whether or not you live." With the knife still out, she took him over to his ship.

Not wanting to be trapped on this planet, Garshaw followed with the zatnikatel. She would have preferred another weapon. Given the grip Jacob and Selmak kept on Lahtin, hitting him would mean hitting them. She looked around as they entered the ship.

_What if it is Lantash_? Yosuuf asked.

_It's not._

_You know as well as I do that he could be telling the truth, and we both know you'll feel horrible for treating him this way if you find out it's him._

Malin approached, and with one look at the situation, he dropped his weapon. "We need to leave."

"We'll be picking the designation, not you," Garshaw replied. "First, we're going to check on the other Tok'ra. You are going to wake them up."

"We need to cloak first," Lahtin said, then winced when Selmak squeezed his arm. "I realize you don't believe me and therefore don't care about what pain you are putting me through, but for the sake of my host, _stop that!_" His eyes flashed.

"You can heal yourself faster if you put your host in control," Selmak replied.

"And he would be in more pain as a result. I am healing him, though you are not helping any."

"Where are the others?"

Lahtin gestured to Malin, who lead the way. The unconscious Tok'ra and SG-1 were in a room in bedrolls. "They are comfortable," Malin said. "And some of them are awake even if they are pretending otherwise."

"Are they?" Garshaw asked.

"They talked to each other when we weren't in the room," Lahtin said.

Lantash sat up. "I wondered if we were being watched." He didn't see any reason to keep pretending to be asleep if they knew he wasn't.

Garshaw frowned. "Lahtin claims-"

"Yes, we were," Lahtin snapped. "We aren't foolish enough not to watch you."

Garshaw frowned as he looked to Lahtin. Though she knew Marlin could have watched them, she knew Lahtin hadn't had the chance. Lantash got off his bed and checked on Sam. It became clear he wasn't the only one pretending to be asleep when Malek and Aldwin got up.

Garshaw looked to Lahtin before grabbing his arm and taking him out of the room. She released him as she moved him against the wall. The zatnikatel was pressed to his head. "You have a very short time to convince me that you are Lantash." She heard Selmak follow them, but didn't look away from Lahtin.

"I met Yosuuf before you did. She was ill, but didn't know why. Others in her town had the same symptoms before dying. She agreed to become Tok'ra because she believed she had the same illness."

"You could have gotten that information elsewhere."

Lahtin frowned slightly, quiet for a moment. "Martouf's aim was good. I'm quite proud of him for it, but we still failed. For that we apologize."

"What?"

"We ask for your forgiveness. We hope not to fail you again. Thank you."

"I-"

Lantash walked into the hallway. He glanced between Selmak and Garshaw before approaching Garshaw. "Martouf's aim was good. I'm quite proud of him for it, but we still failed. For that we apologize." He paused briefly, wondering why his leader looked surprised. "We ask for your forgiveness. We hope not to fail you again."

Garshaw looked between them before settling on Lantash. "You're forgiven."

"Thank you."

Garshaw released her grip on Lahtin. The words and tone were the same. Even the facial expressions had been nearly identical. "Lantash."

"Yes?" Lantash answered.

Selmak frowned, glancing to Garshaw before looking to Lantash. "Stay with Samantha."

Lantash nodded and went back into the room.

"She's safe," Lahtin replied. "Though she won't stay safe if we stay here. We need to leave or we will be attacked."

"How can you be sure?" Selmak asked.

"Because we were attacked on the way out of here."

Selmak lead the way to the bridge. "Small crew," she said when she saw it was empty.

"Well, when time traveling, bringing a large number of people isn't the wisest idea."

Garshaw stayed where she was while Selmak took the helm. She looked to Lahtin. "How do we know you just didn't make Lantash say what you wanted."

Lahtin's eyes flashed. "You insult me. No one I thought of as a Goa'uld could ever force me to speak their words."

"You attack us, and now you claim-"

"I am following your orders!"

Garshaw was a bit surprised to be yelled at. If this was Lantash, she hadn't been yelled at by him since before Martouf. "Lant...Lahtin, why are we involved? If he just wanted the crystal, why didn't he grab it before we found it?"

"Because he also wants revenge."

"The Tok'ra have-"

"On you."

Garshaw's eyes flashed. "Why? Who is he?"

"He has a couple names. Lately, he's been calling himself Nalan. You sentenced him to death."

"I've sentenced a lot of Goa'uld to death."

"Yes, but he had help getting out of it."

"You aren't helping."

"You'll have to figure out who he is yourself."

"He wants revenge on me, and you aren't going to help? Tell me where he is in this timeline, and we can deal with him."

"It's better I don't." Lahtin replied as he sat down. "You'll understand in the future." He looked to Selmak. "We leaving orbit?"

"Soon."

It didn't take long for Lahtin to be proven right. The ship was fired on. Selmak performed a few evasive maneuvers before getting the ship out of range. Then she set the ship on autopilot, now watching instead of actually flying. "This is strange," she said as she watched the ship do something in autopilot that wasn't possible now. She looked over as someone entered the room. It was Sam and Aldwin. Aldwin looked around. Lahtin looked to Sam. "Samantha."

Sam looked to him. The way he said that reminded her of Lantash. She looked to her father. "Dad?"

Given control, Jacob moved closer. "He claims to be a future Tok'ra."

"What?" Aldwin asked.

"Says he traveled back in time on a mission."

"I did," Lahtin stated as he glanced over to Jacob. He looked back to Sam.

Jacob frowned. He looked to Sam. "Sam, you and Aldwin take a team and check the rest of the ship." He watched her and Aldwin nod and leave. He looked back to Lahtin. "I want to talk to your host."

Lahtin glanced to the door. "Another time."

Garshaw stepped closer. "I could shoot you and force him into control."

Lahtin looked to her. "That won't work. My armor will absorb the energy."

Garshaw was annoyed that she had been pointing the weapon at him for all this time for no reason. "I'll find another way then."

Lahtin frowned before closing his eyes. When his eyes opened, the host immediately went to tears.

Jacob was a bit alarmed by that. "Hello?"

"Hi Jacob," the man said as he wiped his tears. He sniffled.

_That's why he didn't want him to be in control_, Yosuuf thought. She was the only one who believed him.

_It's not Lantash_, Garshaw replied.

Jacob took a cautious step forward. "What's your name?"

The man gave a small smile. "Just call me Lahtin...or Lahtin's host if you prefer. I can't tell you my name. It'll interfere-" He sniffed. "-with the timeline."

"What's wrong?" Garshaw asked.

Lahtin's host looked to the door.

"Samantha?"

"I miss her...and I'm not handling it well."

_Poor man_, Yosuuf thought as she imagined what it would be like to go back in time and have to shoot the people she cared for. _Wait, if he knows Sam, that means she outlives Martouf... Poor Martouf._

_I think Martouf would prefer it that way_, Garshaw admitted.

"Who are the other Tok'ra?" Jacob asked.

The host smiled again, feeling a little more in control of his emotions. "You can't figure it out?"

"How would I? They've mostly been acting like Goa'ulds."

"And you've seen who they've taken an interest in, and a bit of who's knowledge they have. Besides, the names should clue you in."

"Assuming you are telling the truth." Jacob glanced up as Garshaw left.

_Where is she going? _Selmak wondered.

Jacob looked back to Lahtin to see his eyes were closed. The expression changed when he opened them. Lahtin sat back and was quiet. His cheeks were streaked with tears, but he didn't bother to wipe them. Jacob took a step back. "Is this Goa'uld really after Garshaw?"

"He is."

"He seems to be going about it the wrong way."

"His priority is the device, and he may not be interested in killing Garshaw. Doing so could interfere with the timeline, which could have an effect on his own successes."

Jacob felt queasy as he wondered what the Goa'uld planned on doing with her. "Assuming you are telling the truth and assuming you succeed in your mission, does she and Yosuuf come out of this unharmed?"

"They do. However, that won't be the case for all Tok'ra. He's a Goa'uld, and he'll be a large threat for a while."

"And you can't stop him in the present."

"I'd be inferring with the timeline."

Jacob was starting to hate that answer.

Garshaw returned with a scanning device. "Now we'll see who are you."

Lahtin looked to her. "I was wondering when you'd remember that was with the equipment."

Jacob took the scanner from her, deciding not to let her near Lahtin. He ran the scanner over Lahtin. Jacob looked at the results. "This can't be."

"What is it?" Garshaw asked.

"He's Lantash."

"That's impossible," she stated as her eyes glowed. She took the scanner and ran it herself. She found the results to be th same. "You...you are Lantash?"

"Yes."

As Yosuuf had predicted, she began feeling bad for the way she treated him. "The others?"

"Malek and Kela'an."

"Which one of you shot me?"

"That would be me... Sorry."

"So, I sent you back in time to attack myself."

"Among other things."

_I told you that it could be him_, Yosuuf thought. _Stop shaking my head. You scanned himself. You see that it's him. You can even see how old he is._

Garshaw decided against checking his age. She did make another check to confirm that he wasn't from a parallel universe. She stepped away as he stood. Then she watched him head out. "Where are you going?"

"I have something to do."

"Why would I allow you to leave?"

"You know who I am, though you still want to deny it." He took a step closer to her. "Are you saying you don't trust Lantash?"

"I trust Lantash."

"Then you trust me."

"You're..." Garshaw checked the scanner again. "Go."

"That's not a good idea," Jacob said as Lahtin left.

Garshaw looked to him. "He is who he says he is, so unless you are excusing Lantash of turning against us..."

Jacob sighed.

"I don't like this either. I don't want to believe it's him, but every time there is a chance to prove him wrong, the evidence shows that it is Lantash... If the artifact is as dangerous as he says, then it should be destroyed. We'll ensure that it is."

Meanwhile, Lahtin found Samantha checking out the weapon's locker. "Samantha."

She turned to him. "Hello."

He took a step closer to her. "I apologize for breaking our deal."

Sam remember what he claimed to be, and though knew she shouldn't believe a thing Lahtin said, everything she knew about Lantash was telling her that this was Lantash. The way he stood. The way he spoke to her. The way he looked at her. "You're from the future?"

"I am."

Sam looked over Lahtin. "Lantash." The look of pride and joy he held in hearing his name confirmed it for her. "You are Lantash."

"Yes." Lahtin moved closer. "The others don't entirely believe me, but that doesn't matter." He took her hand. "I could not stand to see you hate me." A flicker of pain filled his eyes, and he tried to hide it. It became too much to hide from Sam though. Seeing the hate from others he loved had been too much.

"I'm guessing the others don't know... Martouf?"

"No, but he'll figure it out soon enough," Lahtin replied. "Though it will be a long time before he is able to convince my younger self."

"How come he didn't figure it out sooner?"

"He didn't know time travel was possible the first time. I didn't help by drugging him...or by shooting Jolinar."

Sam was quiet for a moment, trying to remember his reaction to shooting her. The memories were fuzzy. "Did you shoot me?"

"No, that was Malek... I'm sorry." He looked at her with longing.

"For what?"

"I miss you, Samantha."

It was odd to basically be told you were dead. Sam couldn't think much of it though. She had no idea how far in the future this Lantash was. She felt him touch her hair, and she found herself at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry because I must ask you to promise me that you will not tell younger myself that I'm...well, him."

"I promise."

"You can confirm it when we bring it up to you."

Sam nodded.

"I love you." He leaned in and kissed her.

The first was quick and almost innocent. The second one was not. In his years, Lantash has mastered a technique that was somehow both tender and dominant. Sam quickly noticed he had somehow perfected it. As she responded, she felt guilty. In the past, she had kissed one without the other because the other was asleep, but this was a completely different host. As she told herself that it being Lantash made it not count as cheating, she heard the door open.

As Lahtin pulled away, his held an odd combination of bliss and sorrow.

The explanation of the sorrow was explained as soon as she heard Martouf's voice. "Get away from her."

to be continued...


	5. Phased

Thank you Roeska and My blue rose for the reviews. :)

Part 5, Phased

Martouf had spoken with a threatening tone that Sam had never heard from him. The only time she had heard anything like it is when he first saw Teal'c and had not yet realized that Teal'c fought against the Goa'uld.

Sam turned to him. "Martouf-"

"This is going to hurt," Lahtin muttered. It didn't take long for Martouf to get between them, after which, Lahtin was soon faced down on the floor. He hadn't bothered fighting back, and he wasn't going to. He yelled out in pain as Martouf took a harsh grip on the back of his neck while bending his arm back, breaking it.

"You're alive because I've been ordered not to kill you," Martouf informed.

Lahtin gritted his teeth. Part of him was thankful to be dealing with Martouf rather than himself. He remembered this moment from the other side well, and he knew exactly how much he had wanted to hurt what turned out to be his future self.

"Don't come near her again."

The other part of him would have preferred himself. Forget the physical pain. His own host was attacking him. He had spend years knowing it would happen, exactly why it would happen, but it still felt like a punch to the soul. "Martouf..."

Sam placed her hand on Martouf's shoulder. "Martouf." She really had no idea what to say. She had promised not to tell the truth, and she had to keep her promise. Martouf stood up and pulled her away from him as he took her into a hug. His eyes remained on Lahtin. She watched Lahtin roll to his side. "What did you do to him?" Did she want to know?

"If you grip the neck right, it's very painful to the symbiote," Martouf replied with a cold tone. "He'll live."

Sam looked to Martouf, knowing he was going to reject his actions when he learned who Lahtin really was.

"I won't let him near you again," Martouf said, his voice now full of concern.

Now she felt guilty. "Martouf, he didn't attack me."

Martouf frowned, now looking very confused. He shook his head.

_She wouldn't lie to us_, Lantash thought, though he personally wished Martouf had caused more pain.

_She would never be unfaithful to us. _Martouf touched her hair. "Samantha, why would you kiss a Goa'uld?"

He had a point. Being unfaithful made no sense from his point of view. She was going to tell him she didn't know, as silly as that sounded. "I-"

"No," Lahtin said as he sat up. He wince as he touched the back of his neck, essentially rubbing his own self. His arm didn't hurt so much. He had taken steps to save his host from pain before the attack. He hadn't had time to take those steps with himself though.

Martouf was making sure he was between them. "Leave."

"Trying." He slowly got up. He looked to him. "Martouf."

"Now."

Now he wished it had been himself. He left the room while the expression of Martouf's hatred burned in his mind.

Martouf looked back to Sam. "There are more of us, and we control the ship."

"I know."

"There's no need to fear him."

"I don't fear him."

"Then why did you stop when he told you to stop?"

She looked down, having no idea how to explain that.

_Her behavior is strange_, Lantash thought.

_Her expression doesn't indicate fear, but that's the only thing I can think of to explain this._

_Unless she was telling the truth, and she wasn't attacked._

_She is faithful._

_Martouf... We thought that before._

Martouf felt angry as Lantash was reminding him of Jolinar's unfaithfulness. _That was... I don't want to think about that._

_I'm sorry. It pains me too, and I hate bringing it up, but we must consider the possibility that Sam is telling the truth._

"I uh..." Sam looked to the weapons. "I need to look over the rest of the ship."

Martouf heard the "I want to be alone" in her statement. "I'm here if you need me." He watched her nod before leaving.

Sam grabbed more weapons. As soon as she headed out, she felt a symbiote presence. She turned around and saw Lahtin. "He didn't sense you?"

"I moved far enough away, then came back after he left."

Sam watched him for a second. He still hadn't fully recovered from being hit with the staff weapon, and Martouf had just made it worse. "Will you heal?"

"I'll heal."

Sam went to leave, but then turned back to him. "Did you kiss me because you wanted to or because you had to?"

"Both." He leaned against the wall. "I never lied to you. Even if... I wanted to hold you."

Sam looked around, half expecting Martouf to show up again.

"He's heading to the bridge, however, Malek is on his way to check on you."

Sam started heading back the other way. Malek approached her soon after. "Samantha."

"Hello Malek."

"Martouf asked me to stay near you." He frowned slightly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Let's get to exploring the ship. Where's Aldwin?"

"Exploring the ship. We can do the same."

Sam looked to the side as she saw Malin approaching. "Which one was he?"

"Malin."

Sam wondered which Tok'ra Malin was. Then she remembered Lahtin saying that Malek shot her. That made her wonder. "Malek?"

"Yes?" Malek responded as Malin gave a very small nod.

Sam turned to Malek. "Are you ready?"

"I am."

Sam looked between them while telling herself that there was nothing at all strange about working with two Maleks. "Malin, you giving us the tour?"

"Yes." He looked to his younger self. "Pay attention." He grinned to the confused look Malek gave before moving off to give his tour.

There wasn't much to the ship. Malin sounded bored in the end, and it didn't help that his younger self was not only asking questions about everything, but continually finding ways to put him down. At the end, Malin turned to Malek and asked to speak with Amb.

"Why?"

"He hasn't bored me."

"What interest would a Goa'uld have in a host?" Malek was still convinced he was dealing with a Goa'uld. He hated talking to him, and he couldn't figure out why they had been ordered to leave them alone.

_Let me talk to him_, Amb thought.

_You want to talk to a Goa'uld?_

_There's something about him that I like._

Malek wasn't sure if he should be disturbed by that. Still, he wouldn't refuse his host's request. He retreated and gave Amb control. Amb gave a very small smile. "Hello." _Why does he look suddenly upset? _"You wanted to talk to me?"

Malin walked away.

_Well, that was rude_, Malek thought. He took control. "You-!"

Sam interrupted him. "Malek, can you report to my dad for me?"

Malek looked to her. He glanced back to Malin. "I will." He left.

Sam followed Malin into another room. "Hey."

Malin was looking at the floor. "I just wanted to talk to him, but then he took control, and the pain of losing him suddenly came back." He looked to Sam. "The host I have now...when I saw him, I knew I was going to lose Amb soon."

Sam frowned. "That must have been hard."

He nodded slightly. "He's a good host though. He's strong and kind, and he's been very patient with me." He gave a small smile. "I'll try talking to Amb again...later."

Sam was quiet for a moment, but then... "Didn't you, didn't you know you'd not talk to him now. Don't you remember that you walked away."

Malin glanced down. "We drugged them after the attack...to ensure they stayed unconscious. Though he won't admit it, Malek still has the drug in his system." He looked to Sam. "Until he rids of it, the memories are...fuzzy. Right now I can only hope I did exactly what I was supposed to do." He turned away, changing the topic. "We're going to be attacked soon."

"I'll go to the bridge then." Sam hesitated before leaving. She felt bad for leaving him there, staring at the floor and mourning his host. "Are you going to be all right?"

"Yes." He hugged himself. "We'll be fine."

She had to leave. "Alright." As she left, she hoped one of the others would help him. Getting to the bridge was quick enough, and she found Daniel, Teal'c, her dad, Garsahw, and Martouf there. She immediately went to her dad. "Dad."

"How are you?" he asked.

"This is strange."

He looked up to her. "Yeah, it is."

"Male- I mean, Malin said we were going to be attacked."

"We are?" He looked over to Martouf.

Martouf wasn't paying attention, but he spoke before Jacob said anything to him. "We are being approached."

"Can we fight them?"

"They have stronger weapons and shielding."

Garshaw looked from Martouf to Jacob. "Increase our speed."

Jacob did just that. "I think..." He stopped when the ship slowed down. "What the...? I lost control of the ship." He watched the controls then indicate that the engines were off and they were now drifting.

Martouf quickly began monitoring their own ship, and he frowned. "We are...out of phase."

"What?"

"I don't know how else to explain it. It seems to be some sort of cloaking device that allows us to move through objects."

Daniel frowned as he looked to the Tok'ra. "Is that possible?"

"Apparently," Jacob replied.

"The ship doesn't seem to see us," Martouf continued. "They are shooting randomly. We are occasionally being shot, but there is no damage."

Garshaw stood up and looked to helm. "Jacob can you try to move us out? The ship might not be taking damage, but I don't want people getting hit."

"How is this possible?" Daniel asked.

"The ship has future upgrades," Garshaw answered, "or it is from the future."

Daniel wondered how Garshaw jumped to that conclussion. "You think we are dealing with time travel?"

"Yes."

"Um...why?"

Garshaw looked to him. "Because Lahtin said he was from the future."

"Oh," Daniel replied, feeling left out of the loop. "Good to know." He glanced to Teal'c, glad to see Teal'c looked surprised...well as surprised as Teal'c could look.

"How do you know he is telling the truth?" Teal'c asked. "He is a Goa'uld."

"Well, the evidence seems to indicate he is telling the truth," Jacob replied.

Daniel looked to Sam, noticing she looked guilty. "Sam?"

Sam wished she could have somehow mentioned it to him before, but she hadn't had the chance. She hadn't seem Daniel or Teal'c since she found out, and she couldn't tell them while Martouf was in the room.

"What evidence?" Martouf asked.

Though it might have been a bit selfish, Daniel was a bit happy to realize that Martouf was just out of the loop as he was. He watched Garshaw and Jacob exchange looks, and he had a feeling Martouf wasn't going to get his answer.

Garshaw changed the topic back to the battle. "Jacob, are we moving?"

"No."

"Bring Lahtin up."

Jacob called for Lahtin to come up.

Martouf felt angry, wishing someone else had been brought up. _Why him?_

_He can't bother Samantha while she is in the room with her father and us_, Lantash assured.

_I still don't like it._

_If he tries anything, we'll hurt him again, and next time, don't be so kind._

Lahtin walked on to the bridge, his broken arm was wrapped. He spoke before anyone else. "You can't move the ship while are are in phase mode."

"Why are we in phase mode?" Jacob replied.

"You only took part of autopilot off. It took control when it sensed near fire." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"What happened to you?" Garshaw asked, wondering about the wrapped arm and noticing he seemed to be in more pain.

"I was injured."

Martouf frowned, noticing something familiar about Lahtin.

_All Goa'uld act the same_, Lantash thought.

_He's not acting like a Goa'uld._

_He will, soon enough._

Lahtin walked closer to Jacob. "I sacrificed weapon power for the ability to phase."

"What if his weapon hits one of us?"

"Anything within the ship when the phase was activated is protected. Now would be a good time to work on destroying the artifact. If it's destroyed, he has no reason for staying in this time, and I can return to where I belong."

"How do we destroy it?" Sam asked.

Lahtin looked up to her, giving her a look that made Lantash wiggle in anger. Martouf frowned. He moved away from his post and moved close to Sam. Lantash continued, "Anything phased too long will disintegrate." He grinned slightly when he saw the alarmed expressions everyone held. "The ship is designed to automatically take us out of phase mode before we are in danger. We need to keep the device phased so it'll be destroyed."

"Why can't we just use the zatnikatel?" Jacob asked.

"Given the power it holds, that would create an explosion. It'll react the same way to anything powerful enough coming in contact with it."

"And you're telling us this now?" Daniel asked.

"It wasn't an issue until Jacob wanted to shoot it." He looked to Garshaw. "I suggest we get started."

"Work with Malek," Garshaw ordered.

Lahtin left.

Sam wished she had been ordered to help. She looked to Martouf, seeing his eyes flash. "Malek is not going to be happy with working with a Goa'uld," Lantash stated.

Garshaw wondered when Lantash was supposed to learn who Lahtin was. "Malek will do as he is ordered."

_I don't think he's a Goa'uld_, Martouf thought.

_Why do you say that?_

_Aside from the fact that Garshaw seems to have no problem working with him?_

_Aside from that._

_Jacob seems to have no problem working with him. Neither does Selmak._

_I admit that is...strange. _Lantash decided to use the polite word for what he really meant.

_And now Malek is expected to work with him?_

_I realize..._

_They wouldn't do this if he was a Goa'uld, and you know it._

Lantash sighed. He had so much hatred for Lahtin. _Then what is he?_

_Well, unless another type of symbiote delelopes, I would say-_

_Don't say that._

_-he's a Tok'ra._

_That's impossible!_

"Lantash?" Sam noticed his eyes glowed. "Are you all right?"

Lantash looked to her. "Martouf and I are arguing."

_Lantash_, Martouf continued, _he looks at Samantha the same way you do._

Lantash's eyes flashed again. He hadn't expected Martouf to go there. _Do you recall him attacking us?_

_Yes._

_Drugging us? Shooting Jolinar? Scaring Rosha?_

_I know..._

_I would never do that!_

_He never hurt them._

Lantash went to a near chair, sat down, and put his head in his hands. He felt someone rubbing his back, and he knew it was probably Sam. _He shot them._

_Then he assured Rosha that he was only interested in the artifact and took her straight to us._

Lantash shook his head.

_What if I'm right, and...?_

_And what?_

_What if Sam knows?_

Lantash looked to Sam. "Samantha." He stood up and hugged her._ He hurt her._ He felt her hug back.

_You said it yourself, she could have been telling the truth._

Lantash didn't like having his own thoughts used against him. _Then we need to talk to him. _He pulled back. "Excuse me." He left the bridge. _Why didn't you think of this before?_

_We didn't know he was from the future._

_He says he's from the future. That doesn't mean he is._

_Well, my idea makes more sense than anything else._

Lantash found Lahtin trying to persuade Malek to help him. "Lahtin!"

_Don't yell at yourself._

_He's not me!_

_Give me control._

Lantash nodded his head while retreating. Lahtin smiled, knowing Martouf was figuring out the truth. "Martouf."

Martouf still wasn't sure. He wanted to be sure, one way or another. "Who are you?"

To be continued...


	6. Convincing

(Thank you, everyone, for the reviews. I'm sorry this part too so long to come out.)

Part 6, Convincing

Lahtin bit his lower lip.

Martouf stepped closer, noticing Malek was giving him a puzzled look. "I need to know...right now, I need..."

"You already know, Martouf."

Martouf frowned before looking to Malek. "Malek, do you know what needs to be done?"

"I do."

"Can you start it without Lahtin."

"I would prefer it." Malek glanced to Lahtin. "Be safe, Martouf." He left.

Lahtin waited for Malek to leave before speaking. "You are right, Martouf."

_He's lying_, Lantash thought.

"And now, my younger self is calling me a lyer," Lahtin said.

_That was easy to guess_, Lantash pointed out.

"That was easy to guess."

_He needs to stop that._

"He needs to stop that."

_All right, now it's getting strange._

"All right, now it's getting strange."

Martouf's eyes were a bit wide. He admitted that it was very strange. "That's a lot of echoing."

"I needed to make my point."

_It doesn't prove anything_, Lantash thought in an almost pouty manner.

Lahtin chuckled. "Sorry for being so stubborn." He moved closer and put his hand on Martouf's shoulder. "...Martouf..."

Martouf saw a longing in his eyes, and he knew what was needed. He pulled Lahtin into a hug. He felt himself squeezed tightly. "Lantash." Present Lantash was still in disbelief, but he knew the truth.

Lahtin was happy. One host was giving him warm fuzzy thoughts and another was hugging him. "I've missed you."

Martouf hoped the other host didn't mind that. He pulled away, curious about the man. "I don't suppose I get to meet the new host."

"Sorry."

"Do I get a name at least?"

Lahtin smiled. "His name is Viator, and that's all I can say about him." He knew Martouf had a lot of questions. He played with Martouf's hair. "He's a good host. I love him as much as I love you. Though you already know how I always feel about my hosts."

Martouf smiled. "We all love you too." He knew that was the case for every host before him, and he was sure that was the case for Viator. He then noticed the wrapped arm, remembering what he had done. _How did I forget?_ "Lantash." His voice was filled with guilt.

"Don't worry about it."

"I hurt you. I broke your arm and..." He lightly touched the back of Lahtin's neck. "I..."

Lahtin hugged him. "My arm is mostly healed already. I've been through worse. You know that. We've been through worse together."

Lantash found himself thinking of how awful it would be to go through that when Martouf was the one doing the attack. He tried to change his thoughts before Martouf noticed, but it was too late. Part of Martouf felt worse, but another part of him was happy that Lantash was starting to accept himself.

"You're feeling more pain right now than you ever gave me," Lahtin said before pulling away. He looked to him. "Believe me."

Martouf nodded.

Lahtin smiled before hugging him again. As much as he had hurt, he knew Martouf was hurting more right now. "Let my younger self take care of you."

Martouf smiled, as Lantash was doing just this. His skin was tingling due to Lantash's way of hugging him. The symbiote was continually saying how he was at fault as well and how Martouf could never truly hurt him so long as he knew he was loved.

As they hugged, the door opened. "Martouf, I think..." Malek trailed off. "What's going on?"

Martouf gestured to Lahtin while looking to Malek. "He's from the future."

Malek was speechless.

"Ask Malin to help you," Lahtin sugguested.

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, he is you."

"What?!"

_That's why he was so familiar!_ Amb exclaimed, feeling foolish for not recognizing his own symbiote.

Lahtin smiled, knowing what Amb was saying. Malek had told him a long time ago. He looked to Martouf. "You should talk to Samantha."

Martouf nodded, stepping back. He knew this meeting was over. As he let, he heard Lahtin assuring Amb that future Malek wouldn't be mad at him for not recognizing him. He headed back to the bridge, where he found Samantha. "Samantha, may we speak?"

"Yeah, sure." Sam followed him to the other room.

Martouf hugged her. "I am sorry for not believing you."

"What?"

"I know Lahtin is really Lantash...though Lantash still has his doubts." He noticed Sam now looked relieved. "I assume he asked you not to say anything."

"Not until you already knew... I'm sorry."

Martouf ran his fingers through her hair, though he ran out of hair quickly. "Why are you apologizing?"

"I kissed him."

"He's Lantash. You can never be unfaithful to me with Lantash, no matter who his host is."

Sam smiled. "It was...nice...knowing he still..."

They switched control, and Lantash frowned slightly. "Of course, I would."

"We don't know how far into the future he is."

"It doesn't matter. Samantha, once I commit to loving someone, I will never stop. I thought you knew that."

"I did...I..." She smiled. "Hearing it is one thing. Actually seeing it..."

"Well, now you have proof of how much I love you." Lantash chuckled as he heard Martouf's mental victory cheers. "Martouf is happy that I'm finally referring to him as me."

"You're going to have to start memorizing everything he says and all the timelines."

Lantash made a sound that sounded like "Oy," though it was more breath than actual sound.

"Well, you have Martouf to help you remember it for now."

Lantash heard Martouf start making a list of everything. He shook his head as he started heading back to the bridge with Sam. _It will not be a joyful trip._

_You'll get to see me again._

Lantash smiled slightly. _I look forward to those hugs you gave him._

--

Meanwhile, Malin walked into the room to be pounced by Amb. "Malek! Why didn't you tell me?!"

Malin chuckled as he hugged him. "I couldn't."

Amb smiled as he heard Malek telling him that Malin wasn't him. Amb circled around Malin while responding. _He is you._

_I am not that arrogant._

Amb responded by laughing. "You don't still think you are not arrogant, do you?"

Malin smiled, remembering what Amb was referring to. "I didn't say I wasn't arrogant. I said I wasn't that arrogant."

"Minor difference."

"It's a huge difference." Malin smiled. He wanted to keep talking, but his current host reminded him that there was work to be done. Malin gave a slight nod. "We can talk while we work." He lead Amb back into the other room.

To be continued...


	7. How it's Supposed to Be

(Roeskva, thanks for the reviews through this story. I hope to hear from you again.

Ra'iira The Fiend, thanks. I'm glad you were amused.)

Part 7, How it's Supposed to Be

It was strange, but somehow Daniel wasn't too surprised. "So...Lahtin is really Lantash?"

"Yes," Sam said as she nodded.

"And Malin is Malek, and Kelila is Kela'an, and the Goa'uld after us is from the future."

"That is correct," Garshaw replied. "It is...strange."

"Somehow, it's not too strange," Daniel replied, which got a smile out of Sam. "We've time traveled before." He smiled as Garshaw's eyebrows raised. "Aren't they worried about changing their timeline?"

"According to them, they are doing what they are supposed to be doing," Sam answered. She heard Martouf move behind her, and she felt him rest his hands on her shoulders.

"Who's working on destroying the crystal now?"

"That would be the two Maleks," Martouf answered.

"Shouldn't I be helping them?" Sam asked. So far, she felt kind of useless.

"They are working with technology that, as far as I know, does not yet exist," Garshaw answered as she looked to Samantha. "It would be best to only have one person from the current time involved. "

_She needs to have something to do_, Yosuuf thought, having an idea of how Sam felt. She and Garshaw weren't really in charge anymore. Once the future Tok'ra were confirmed, they were the ones in charge. That didn't leave Garshaw and Yosuuf much to do but relay orders.

"We need someone to keep monitoring the other ship. I want to know exactly what they are doing."

"I'll watch with you," Martouf volunteered. "You can tell Lantash what he needs to know while we do that."

Garshaw gave a slight nod. "For now...we wait."

--

Malek frowned as a device he created didn't work. "Didn't you know it wouldn't work?"

"Of course."

"Then why didn't you tell me."

"If I told you, then we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Malek sighed. "Will the next plan work?"

"I can't tell you."

_Don't get angry at yourself_, Amb thought as Malek mentally grumbled._ He's doing what you'll have to do._

_I never realized how annoying I could be._ Malek sighed as he started over.

_I don't think you are annoying._

Malek smiled. _Maybe you should work with him. _He gave Amb control, who continued with the work. They got a lot better than Malek did with himself.

After another device was created, Malin watched it with a frown. "We did something wrong?"

"What?"

"I don't remember." He stared as the device while he tried to figure it out, hoping the answer would pop in his head.

Amb was trying to figure it out, but he soon smelled something burning. He saw the table under the device was melting.

"Right," Malin said as he remembered. "We put too much power."

Amb reached for it, but it burned his fingers. "Ow!"

Malin frowned, remembering that turning it off wasn't pleasant. "We'll take turns turning the dial." He wanted to numb his host's fingers, but the dial was so delicate, he'd not be able to feel what he was doing if he did that. He sighed before turning it as much as he could before he had to pull back. "Ow."

Amb did the same before pulling back his fingers. Then Malin. Then Amb. Then Malin. Then Amb finally turned it off, and they were both shaking their right hand. "Why didn't we use a tool?"

"We'd have had to make a special tool, and by that time, it would have burnt through the table." He sat down. "All right, now we do the same thing...but with less power."

It took time, but the device was finally created. Malin looked at it with pride. "Let's take it to the bridge." He gestured. "I'll let you the honor of holding it."

Amb smiled as he picked it up. He headed to the bridge as Malin followed. "We finished," he said as he walked on to the bridge. "Now we just push it out the airlock."

"You are sure it'll stay phased?" Jacob asked.

"Yes," Malin answered. "There are two backup systems in the power. It has more than enough power to stay phased until it is destroyed."

"How long should it take?"

"A week."

Jacaob didn't like that answer, and as he looked around, he saw he wasn't the only one. "What if this Goa'uld phases his own ship and just takes it."

"That was our concern too," Amb replied. He glanced back as Lahtin and Kelila walked into the room. "However, future Malek explained that it could only be done if he phases under the same frequency as the device. Given the infinite number of possible frequency, it is unlikely he would pick the one we used."

"But it is possible," Sam stated, rather concerned.

Lahtin stepped closer. "Not if we completed our mission correctly. There is, however, one last thing." He looked to Garshaw, and his expression told her that he wasn't going to like what he was going to say. "You must not tell anyone how the device was destroyed. We cannot risk the Goa'uld finding sooner than he is meant to."

Garshaw frowned, taking offense to the implication. "The Tok'ra-"

"It's an order," Lahtin interrupted.

"From who?"

Lahtin took out piece of folded paper that had been sealed and handed it to her.

"More orders from yourself?" Jacob asked as he watched Garshaw break the seal and open the paper.

Garshaw smiled, recognizing the language and handwriting immediately. "It's from Yosuuf." _It's the first time you've given me an order._

_I hope I knew what I was doing._

Garshaw nodded. "She's going into details that only we know to prove that it is her. Now. she's giving the order that Lahtin mentioned, and..." She read the last part. "'Trust me, _Dilectus'_c_ompar_.'"

"Beloved equal?" Daniel translated while a bit curious to the term.

"A term symbiotes and hosts use for each other," Lantash explained. "The term is only used once they are truly dedicated to each other...once they love each other. Before then they are just _a compar._._"_

Garshaw gave looks that sent the future Tok'ra away. Then she sighed as she sat down. "I know myself too well." She looked to the letter. "Yosuuf has never given me orders before, and I've never not trusted her before." She reread the letter. "We'll tell the council we cannot tell them."

"They won't like that," Jacob replied.

"I will not go against Yosuuf."

"She's never given you orders before."

"This is the future. She might outrank me."

Daniel frowned. "How would she outrank you? Aren't you the highest ranking Tok'ra?"

Garshaw shook her head. "Currently, Per'sus outranks me. We switch positions every few hundred years."

"Oh...so what do we do now?"

"I don't-" Garshaw stopped when the future Tok'ra returned. "Were you standing out there and timing when to return?"

"We knew to come back when we saw others coming down the hall." Lahtin answered. "They are going to ask you what we are doing and why they haven't been allowed to do anything yet."

Garshaw knew they were referring to all the security officers that had been told to wait. "Do I have an answer for them?"

"You're going home."

"What about the Goa'uld?"

"Malek, our Malek, has created a false energy signature for when we unphase. The Goa'uld will think it's the artifact. We'll have him chase us around for a bit. By the time he realizes we don't have it, he'll have no way of knowing what we did with it."

"What prevents him from going back in time again?" Sam asked.

"He's trying to take it without destroying the timeline. He has his own successes to keep secure."

Lahtin looked back as the security officers came in.

"We're going home," Garshaw announced when they came in.

Vorran looked rather confused. "Didn't we have an artifact to deal with?"

"We're dealing with it," Lahtin replied. "We will bring it back to our time and destroy it there." He went to helm. "Ready to be shot at?"

Malin hurried to the weapons control. "Almost."

"Everyone should go to the rings and prepare to be rung down," Kelila said. She gestured as the security guards, but they ignored her until Garshaw nodded at them.

Martouf went to Lahtin. "Am I to wait by the rings too?"

Lahtin stood up and hugged him.

"Someday you'll see me again," Martouf said as he hugged him back. "After you have lived your years. You'll die peacefully in a bed, and then you'll be reunited with all of your hosts."

Lahtin smiled. He wasn't quite so sure about the afterlife. "In a bed, hmm?"

"Surrounded by people who love you, maybe being held by someone who loves you."

Lahtin's eyes flickered to the side, and he smiled.

"You have a love now?"

"You cannot ask about the future, Martouf." He hugged him again. He smiled when he saw Sam approach. He gave Martouf and extra squeeze before stepping away. Then he went to her and ran his fingers through her hair. "Samantha."

She hugged him. Lahtin closed his eyes as he felt his host's need to hug her. He released control.

Sam was a bit surprised when the hug changed. She pulled back slightly. "Hello...you."

Viator smiled. "Lantash's emotions are strong. I can't help but feel them myself."

Sam knew that feeling.

"I hope you don't mind."

"No. It's nice meeting you."

Martouf found himself a bit jealous that Sam got to hug Viator, but he didn't. They blended the same symbiote after all. They should be able to hug.

"They need to be going," Kelila said. She looked from Lahtin to Malin, who was hugging Amb.

Lahtin looked over to her. "You know everyone too, come hug them."

"Really?"

"Yes." He gestured. "Hug."

Kelila's eyes brightened as she walked over. "Oh, which one?" She looked back and forth before hugging Martouf. She lingered with a strong lock for a while before hugging Sam the same way.

"I thought they had to go," Malin teased as Kelila headed over to Jacob and hugged him.

Jacob was a bit surprised, since he wasn't very close to Kela'an. Then he heard Selmak telling him to hug her, so he did. Garshaw gave control to Yosuuf when Kelila headed to them. Yosuuf immediately hugged back.

Daniel smiled as Kelila made her way around the Tok'ra. After Amb, he was surprised to be hugged. "Oh...hi."

"Hello Daniel." Kelila smiled as she pulled away. Then she headed to Teal'c and hugged him. He tolerated it, but didn't respond. Kelila looked around afterwards. "Did I miss anyone?"

"There's a security force to hug through," Lahtin teased.

Kelila smiled. "I'll skip them." She then went to the door. "I'll show you to the rings. We are near a planet that has a stargate."

Those from that time followed her, leaving Lahtin and Malin on the bridge. Martouf took Sam's hand on the way down the hallway. When they arrived, Kelila had many of the security officers shove into the rings platform. It wasn't comfortable, but they patiently waited. It wasn't easy. The ship moved around a lot, dodging fire and hurrying to the planet. Then it stilled, and Kelila got a message from the bridge.

"Squeeze in," she said before triggering the rings. She watched them disappear and waited for the rest to go on to the platform. "Goodbye." She set it again.

They found themselves landing in sand. The stargate was out of view, but the Tok'ra knew where they were.

--

Up in space, they drove the ship around for a while, phasing whenever things got too dangerous. When it was time, they returned to the future. They let themselves be chased around a bit more before turning the signal off. They knew that the Goa'uld used too much energy at that point to return to the past.

They hid again, this time to slip to the Tok'ra base, where they were greeted by Garshaw. "Lantash? The mission was a success?"

"It was...assuming you listen to the letter."

Garshaw nodded as she now knew exactly when Yosuuf had written that letter. She pulled out the version she had been given so long ago. It was lined with plastic now, as it might have fallen apart otherwise. "I did." Pain filled her eyes. "How was she?" Of course, she already knew the answer.

"She was good. She will be for a long while."

Garshaw reread the old letter. "I envy you. Even if not everyone you met in the past knew who you were, you were still able to see them again." She put the letter away before looking to all three. "Congratulations to all of you. You helped save our timelime." She gave a small nod before continuing. "Welcome home."

--

Back in the present time, the group had walked until it was night. Not wanting to continue on in the night, they set up for camp. Sam set up her tent before looking for Martouf. She found him making another shelter. "Uh, Martouf?"

"Your tent is tiny."

"We can both sleep comfortably in it."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I was hoping to do more than sleep."

Sam reddened slightly as she glanced to the others.

"They don't have to know anything," Martouf promised as he put a flower in her hair. "Let's decide on that later. I don't know about you, but Lantash and I haven't eaten yet."

"I haven't either."

"Then let's have a nice meal of rations." He smiled as they walked back to the fire. "That was a strange mission."

"And later Lantash gets to do it again."

Martouf glanced to her. "He's not entirely looking forward to it."

"He gets to see us again."

"That's the only part he's looking forward to."

Sam smiled as she took his hand. "I hope that will make it worth it."

Martouf smiled. "I know my symbiote...and it will be." He put his arm around her and brought her close as they walked.

-The End-


End file.
